John Wyndham's The Chrysalids - Discuss and describe the entire setting of the World in the book - What has happened to the world as we know it?

Ken Chi

Block B

DISCUSS AND DESCRIBE THE ENTIRE SETTING OF THE WORLD IN THE BOOK. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT?

In John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, the setting is also primitive and paradoxically, in the future. The scenery seems to be having a nuclear war that happen in the present USA and southern Canada region. The society of Waknuk is primitive in the story. It is somewhat identical to the eighteenth century. The Sealand, however, is more like our community today, except that it is more advanced than ours. Although Seanland and Waknuk exist in the same time, their setting of thought, time, and place were completely different.

The world in the story is influence by a nuclear holocaust. Some regions are not affected a lot, such as Sealand. The nuclear war begins in the southern Canada and USA region. This story is approximately several hundreds of years in the future. The east coast of USA is now called “Black Coast”, which is affect greatly by the radiation; the only reason to go is suicide. Labrador is warm, so it is ideal for faming. Many species are scatter around the world; many are mutated. They thought they are the normal ones, because no one really knows the “True Image” of those creatures. A dominant affect of the holocaust is that people rely more on religion to explain the unexplainable. The only two books that remain are the Bible and, Nicholson’s Repentances. People become religious and very dogmatic.

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The setting of Waknuk is primitive. The story takes place in western Labrador. Waknuk is a small community, which is in reality administrating by Joseph Strorm. The people of Waknuk resembles to the eighteenth century, people are very crude in the attitude. They’re running by a sense of ethics, which believes, deviant are sent by devils, and the only duty is to keep pure to the true image. Only the church and authorities could decide on what is right and proper. Anything to be said differently from what they called normal has to be destroyed. They justify by referring to the Tribulation, how it was a punishment for the Old people. They’re also sexist in a way that they tend to blame the entire issue on women. The effect of the radiation is the cause of the deviants. Waknuk is agricultural. Houses are built close together for mutual protection. The people of Waknuk use basic technology such as the steam engine, which dates to the early eighteenth century and the onset of the Industrial Revolution. They plow their field with horses and have no electricity.

The Sealand people however, were more highly advanced in the “mind”. Sealand is actually the present day New Zealand. Sealand is industrial and progressive. Their technology is more evolve; they have aircraft, boats, and cars. In the story they develop a weapon that the Sealand woman justify is less cruel than arrows and spears. They have city with tall buildings and it’s run by electricity. The people have telepathic abilities. Socially, all of them desire to have the ability to communicate by thought. In their society, it is admired to have such ability. In their society, there aren’t any sexism or discrimination present. People help each other to their accomplishments.

In general, the setting is primitive and paradoxically in the future. While the world has been affected by the holocaust, different regions had developed a sense that they’re the “True image”. Parts of world, such as Labrador, had developed a thought that they’re the “True Image” and rely on religion significantly. The Sealanders, on the other hand, continue to evolve technology and an extra characteristic, telepathy. They help each other, and are able to be the superior mankind. The dominant effects of nuclear really made people differ in ways they live, think, and also, love one another.

Written By: Ken Chi